Secrets of the Pharaoh
by moeichi
Summary: Ancient Egypt non-reincarnation AU. Rehema is a clumsy, air-headed servant for Princess Nefertiri. All she dreams is to be able to meet her own prince one day. But fate has other plans, and soon she becomes entwined in a sinister plot that has begun to brew within Pharaoh Seti's court...


"Rehema! Rehema! Are you daydreaming again, Rehema?"

Rehema snapped out of her reverie and looked sheepishly at the girl sitting in front of her. With a groan, she noticed that her hand had been stroking the same lock of Nefertiri's dark-colored hair for the past who-knows-how-long, and quickly moved onward to brush the next lock. "Sorry, Nefertiri!"

The beautiful princess turned around so she could eye Rehema sternly, but there were hints of laughter in her expression as her brown eyes sparkled. "What were you thinking about this time, Rehema? It's lucky we're good friends, or else my father would have sent you away a long time ago."

Rehema blushed. She had been thinking about those happily-ever-after stories again. She often wondered whether she would be able to find a handsome prince, being a poor servant with no hopes of freedom. Nefertiri was lucky; Rehema had sometimes noticed her casting furtive glances at Rehema's brother Rudjek from across the room whenever her father called him in for Medjai duty.

"I'm sorry," Rehema apologized again. Unable to stop herself, she put in teasingly to remind the princess, "and we're only friends because you're interested in my brother!"

"W-What? Of course not," Nefertiri denied, spluttering. Rehema didn't need to see to know that a blush was quickly spreading across the other girl's cheeks. Only mentioning her crush would make the princess break off her usual, regal mask like that, and Rehema had to stop herself from commenting on how cute Nefertiri could be. It was no surprise her brother had a crush on her.

"Sure, sure," she sang. "You know, Rudjek mentioned the other day how cute he thinks you are..."

It wasn't exactly a lie. When she had confronted him about why he got to choose his path of becoming a Medjai but wouldn't let her pick her own, he had mumbled that if it meant getting to protect a princess like Nefertiri, it was definitely worth the trouble. But for Rehema, he had firmly told her to stay in the palace for her safety and wellbeing. She had tried to protest, but he was adamant with his decision and reminded her that their parents had asked him to protect her.

That had shut her up.

Nefertiri pushed Rehema's hand away. "That's enough, really! Besides, you know Father will arrange my marriage in the future, so I have no say in the matter." She paused, her eyes darkening as her head lowered towards the ground in defeat, but then gave herself a shake. "I am suddenly in the mood for apples, Rehema. Would you go out and buy some for me?"

Rehema rolled her eyes. She knew Nefertiri was saying that only to change the subject. "At this time of night, Nefertiri?"

"Yes. I'll wash by myself," she insisted.

"Oh, alright. I'll go to that night market and see whether they have the apples you are wishing for," Rehema agreed with a sigh. Royalty had their own problems to deal with, whether it was arranged marriages or politics. Suddenly, Rehema's dreams of freedom seemed as though they were nothing compared to Nefertiri's own impending troubles.

Silently, she stood up and headed to the tub to rinse her oil-covered hands - she had been applying the concoction to Nefertiri's hair as part of her daily night routine.

When she had finished her task, she picked up an empty basket in the storage room and made her way out of the palace into the fresh, night air. Rehema had to admit that it felt nice to be outside by herself, and mentally made a note to thank Nefertiri later. Her brother usually forbade her to wander out at night, claiming how dangerous it could be, and the nasty figures she would no doubt encounter. And what irked her the most was that, for some strange reason, he always knew what she was doing despite not staying by her side. As a result, he was always standing by the door before she could go anywhere, and would promptly send her back inside with a watchful eye.

Tonight, though, he was nowhere to be found, and Rehema let out a quick breath of relief as she pushed through the gate.

She especially loved seeing the thousands of stars in the night sky, twinkling to let her know that they were watching out for her. This was a story her mother had told her years ago when Rehema had been too scared to go out alone at night.

 _Mother...I hope you're well._ She sent a silent prayer to the stars, and then straightened up and headed on. Now was not the time to delve into the past.

The lively sounds of the night market echoed through the streets, and Rehema quickened her pace, eager to arrive at her destination. It had been a while since she had an opportunity to go out to shop, and she was going to make sure that Nefertiri wasn't disappointed in her. Daydreaming wasn't going to help her make a living, after all, no matter how much she wanted to just close her eyes and think about nothing and everything.

Her smoky-colored hair blew in the wind, and she brushed it back behind her ears as she stopped by the closest stall. The scent of herbs and spices and other Egyptian snacks filled her nostrils, and her stomach growled in complaint at the thought that the food was so close, yet so far from her grasp. Dinner had seemed so long ago, with the meager scraps that were provided to the servants. "How can I help you, Miss?"

She hoped the vendor hadn't heard her hunger. "I would like some apples. The best of the best," she ordered with a wink, then pressed a finger to her lips to tell him to keep quiet as she slipped him the small jewels from her pouch. The jewels she carried were one of a kind, forged only in the palace to let traders know that they were from the royalty.

"Of course!" The man flashed her a smile as he measured out the amount she requested.

She thanked the vendor politely and picked up her basket. Now that she was done, she wondered what she should do before it was time to go back. Nefertiri hopefully wouldn't mind her sparing a few minutes for herself, what with her brother never letting her get out. With her mind firmly made up, she began to browse through the other stalls, acting more like an excited child at their first festival than a proper young woman of twenty-three. She didn't have many jewels left, so she couldn't exactly buy anything for herself, but just looking at the delicacies was enough.

As she passed more stalls, she gazed longingly at a jewelry stand that sold decorations worthy of the princess. One bracelet in particular was especially beautiful, its thick gold band was tied with thread at its ends to keep it in place. If only she could afford such a thing...but it would probably take years of hard work before she could even think about it. With a sigh, she began making her way home, knowing that spending any more time there would only make her feel more depressed.

A cool breeze blew through the night. Rehema shivered, rubbing at her bare arms in the cold. She would have to wear something warmer next time. She turned the corner, and it wasn't long before the warm, friendly voices of vendors and customers faded into the distance. In the silence, she began to hum to keep herself occupied.

Suddenly, something knocked hard into her side and sent her stumbling onto the ground. She gasped in surprise, her eyes widening in dismay as the apples scattered onto the ground around her. The sound of hurried footsteps began scurrying towards the other end of the street, telling her that there had been someone else in the dark alley.

She instinctively reached into her pocket, only to find that her pouch was missing. She knew, then, that it had been a thief who had taken the jewels Nefertiri had entrusted her with. She couldn't let him get away.

"Wait right there, you thief!" she yelled furiously, and, without thinking, grabbed an apple and threw it as hard as she could in the general direction of the retreating figure. The last thing she expected was for it to hit its target, but, with a grunt, the dark shadow fell over.

Rehema tried to stand up to go after him, but a sharp pain pierced her foot, making her collapse back onto the ground. She groaned, gingerly rubbing her twisted ankle. However was she going to get home now?

"Oi, you okay?"

A deep voice rang out in the darkness, making her jump. She hadn't expected more people to be in the area; she had picked a side road to take her back to the palace. But, despite the gruff words and sharp tone, Rehema had a feeling that she could trust the newcomer.

"Don't mind me! Go after the thief before he gets away!" she instructed in a hurry, pointing at the figure in the distance.

"As you wish," the man rumbled, faint amusement lingering in his voice. Without another pause, he dove after the thief, who had just pushed himself up and was trying to get away again. "Oh, no, you don't!"

Rehema watched, enthralled, as the second man expertly pulled out a sword from his side and struck the thief's head with its blade, sending him crashing once again onto the ground.

"Serves you right for tripping over a lady!" Rehema called, gazing after the men. She quickly tried to brush the dust off her white skirt as her brain finally registered the fact that her rescuer was a man. A man with an especially alluring voice and muscles that rippled when he moved in action.

Uh-oh.

In the time she had been making herself more presentable, he had already returned to her side and held the jewels out for her. "You really should worry more about yourself than inanimate objects, you know."

"Yes, but those don't belong to me. It's my duty to keep them safe," she answered, awkwardly taking her pouch back. Her fingers tingled as his hand brushed against hers during their exchange. She ducked her head down in embarrassment, suddenly very glad that she had chosen to go out at night so he couldn't see her expression.

To keep herself from thinking any unnecessary thoughts, she busied herself by gathering the apples that had rolled away from her.

"If you do not mind me saying this, you are a strange woman," the man murmured, bending down to help her. "Not many would throw an apple at a thief."

Now that they were the same height, she could finally get a good look at his physique. Her cheeks instantly reddened at the sight of his buff arms and chest, not to mention the way his shoulder-length wavy hair flowed out behind him as he worked. And, judging from the outline of his clothes, she could tell that he was a Medjai like her brother.

"You're very strange, yourself," she retorted hotly, feeling her heart speed up at his proximity. _So he had witnessed her impromptu attack, huh..._ he was no doubt secretly laughing at how idiotic she had been _._ "Not many would worry about the girl first when the thief is trying to get away."

"Do you really think that?" He carefully set the apples into the basket next to her before moving closer to examine her ankle. Rehema didn't remember telling him about her injury, so he must have noticed that she was in pain just from her movement and expressions. She was touched that he could notice something so trivial. "Any man would worry about their lady first if she has been injured in battle, you know."

"Hmph," she pouted, realizing that he did have a point. "Fine, fine, I'm stranger than you. Happy?"

He made a face as he rubbed her twisted ankle carefully. "Perhaps. But you are hurt, so let's worry about you first. I'll have to take you back to your home. Come here."

She felt extremely self-concious as he knelt in front of her so she could climb onto his broad back. "My home is in the palace. It's not very far from here..."

"That was where I was going, too, before I heard the ruckus," he revealed.

Rehema pressed her cheek against his back. She no longer felt cold when his warmth was enveloping her. "Oh! That makes things easier, huh? I'm really sorry for the trouble..."

He shook his head, picking up the basket with his free arm. "Not at all. Shall we, milady?"

Rehema sucked in a breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She hoped he couldn't feel it. "Y-Yes, I'm ready."

The man chuckled, then set down on the path with her in tow. _What a night this has turned out to be..._ Rehema mused, her cheeks burning once again just at the thought. _I'll really have to thank Nefertiri later._

But, little did Rehema know, that this first meeting would be the trigger that causes the lives of everyone in the calm, peaceful palace to soon be changed forever..

* * *

A/n: Behold, the first chapter of the Ancient Egypt AU! I was really excited about it so I ended up starting it sooner than expected XD Here is a legend so you know which character refers to who:

Rehema - Rena

Rudjek – Rick

Abet - Ardeth

Nefertiri – Evelyn

Jibade – Jonathan

If anyone has a cute Egyptian name that they like, please let me know and maybe it will be featured in the story! ;)

Is it worth continuing? Leave a review and tell me what you think!


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